Articles from February, 2017

Weekly Market Commentary, February 28, 2017

February 28, 2017 | By Robare & Jones

The Markets In a short week with no major economic news, the focus for equity markets remained on a myriad of retail earnings calls at the end of the week. The Federal Reserve released the minutes from its January meeting but it didn’t sway the markets one way or the other. It appears investors viewed the meeting as neutral with no new information given. The committee continues to take a ‘wait and watch’ approach given the lack of fiscal policy … Read More

Weekly Market Commentary, February 22, 2017

February 22, 2017 | By Robare & Jones

The Markets Four major U.S. benchmark stock indices closed at record highs for four consecutive days during Valentine’s Day week, reported Financial Times (FT). To date, positive corporate earnings and robust investor confidence have offset fiscal and political uncertainty and helped push U.S. stock markets higher, said sources cited by FT. With 82 percent of companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index reporting, corporate earnings are up 4.6 percent for the fourth quarter of 2016, and the Investors Intelligence … Read More

Weekly Market Commentary, February 14, 2017

February 14, 2017 | By Robare & Jones

The Markets Despite a flat outlook on the market this week, President Trump was able to evoke a bullish sentiment, propelling all three major U.S. indices to new highs late in trading session. The S&P 500 ended the week up 0.81 percent, bested by the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ Composite, which were up 0.99 percent and 1.19 percent, respectively. On Thursday, President Trump said he would announce a new plan for taxes in the weeks to come, … Read More

Weekly Market Commentary, February 7, 2017

February 7, 2017 | By Robare & Jones

The Markets U.S. stock markets were unsettled last week. President Trump’s executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries to the United States for 90 days, in tandem with some disappointing earnings reports, inspired turmoil and uncertainty that helped push U.S. stock markets lower early in the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped below 20,000. Mid-week, markets remained sanguine after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged. An economist cited by Barron’s said: “[The Federal Reserve] left open … Read More